Jamiroquai

The band's "Buffalo Man"[1] logo, took inspiration from Native American culture.[2]

In 1986, Jason "Jay" Kay, who worked as a break-dancer, released a hip-hop single under the label StreetSounds.[3] It was one of many songs he sent to record companies.[2] During this time, Kay was influenced by Native American and First Nation peoples and their philosophies and wrote "When You Gonna Learn", a song covering social issues.[2][4] When he had it studio-recorded, Kay fought with the producers who stripped the song down and produced it based on mainstream trends.[2] With the track restored to his preference, the experience helped Kay to realise he "wanted a proper live band with a proper live sound."[2] The band would be named "Jamiroquai", a portmanteau of the words "jam" and the name of a Native American confederacy, the Iroquois.[4] He was signed to Acid Jazz Records in 1991 after he sent a demo tape of himself covering a song by the Brand New Heavies.[5][6][lower-alpha 1] Afterwards, he gradually gathered band members, including friend Wallis Buchanan who played the didgeridoo.[2] Keyboardist Toby Smith, who Kay initially rejected, was scouted by the band manager and joined as Kay's songwriting partner. Their first song as collaborators was the anti-war song "Too Young to Die".[2][8]

In 1992, Jamiroquai began their career by performing in the British club scene,[9] and released "When You Gonna Learn" as their debut single, charting outside the UK Top 50.[10] It featured Brand New Heavies bassist Andrew Levy, who was replaced by Stuart Zender by audition in the following year.[11][12][13] Following the success of the "When You Gonna Learn" single, Kay was offered multiple major-label contracts and settled for a one-million-dollar, 8-album record deal with Sony Soho².[8][10][14] He was the only member who signed under the contract as Jamiroquai,[14][15] but he would share his royalties with his band members in accordance to their contributions.[14] Under Sony, the band released their début album, Emergency on Planet Earth, and it entered the UK albums chart at number 1 with 1.3 million copies sold worldwide.[16][17] It was described by an AllMusic reviewer as "a psychedelic melange of tight funky rhythms, acid rock intimations, and '70s soul melodies."[18] The album "laid the foundations for an acid-jazz sound that the band would continue to build upon for the next decade and a half", according to a critic for BBC Music.[16] With the album having an ecologically charged concept,[18][19] the music video for "When You Gonna Learn" was banned in America for using footage of a Nazi party.[20] The album's second single, "Too Young to Die", entered the UK singles chart at number 10.[16]

Jay Kay performing with Jamiroquai in the mid-1990s

The band's drummer, Nick van Gelder, was absent for longer than expected, and he was replaced by Derrick McKenzie, who recorded with the group in one take for his audition.[21] While writing songs for the group's second album The Return of the Space Cowboy, Kay fell into a creative block worsened by his increasing drug use at the time.[21][22] And the complex nature of the production and songwriting caused Sony to tell Jamiroquai that "none of [the songs] sounded like singles".[21] The band soon found their turning point when they wrote the lead single "Space Cowboy",[21] released in September 1994 and becoming the group's first number 1 in the US Dance Club Songs Chart.[23][24] The single additionally contained remixes by David Morales, further putting the single in club circulation.[24][25] The Return of the Space Cowboy was issued a month later and ranked at number 2 in the UK chart.[26] Q stated that the album was "an ebullient follow-up to [their] storming debut."[27] A Rolling Stone reviewer described the group "[parlaying] jazzy soul pop so tight, it crackles."[28] The instrumentation of the album was said to be "played by humans, not samplers", according to Josef Woodard from Entertainment Weekly.[29] In a 1996 report by Billboard, The Return of the Space Cowboy sold 1.3 million copies worldwide.[30] Its fifth single "Stillness in Time" (1995), peaked at number 9 in the UK top-ten chart.[31] In the same year, Kay was featured in the track "Lost Souls" for Guru's album Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality.[32][33]

Released in 1996, Travelling Without Moving sold 1.4 million copies in the US and reached number 24 in the Billboard 200.[34][35] It sold 3 million copies in Europe,[36] and peaked at number 2 in the UK albums chart; selling 1.2 million copies, and 8 million overall.[31][24][37] It listed in the Guinness World Records as the best-selling funk album in history.[38] Containing symphonic and jungle elements,[39] Kay aimed for an accessible sound unlike the previous record.[40] A review from Q magazine stated that Travelling Without Moving is "tighter and more compact in its production",[41] while critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that it did not have "the uniform consistency of its predecessor."[42] The album's lead single "Virtual Insanity" gained popularity for its music video, where it heavily played on MTV,[43] and won two Video Music Awards for Breakthrough Video and Video of the Year in 1997.[44] It was preceded by "Cosmic Girl" peaking at number 6 in the UK.[24] Cosmic Girl was followed by "Alright" charting in the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 78.[45] In support of Travelling Without Moving, the group gave an international tour including the UK, Japan, Australia, Brazil and the US.[25]

The group were preparing their fourth album, Synkronized (1999), in Kay's Chillington studio complex, built in his Buckinghamshire country house.[46] During its production, Zender left Jamiroquai due to conflicts with Kay.[47] While Zender had not been involved in the album's songwriting, the group chose to scrap his recorded tracks to avoid lawsuits and Nick Fyffe was recruited for new sessions.[14][47] This resulted in what journalist Lisa Markwell thought was a "tighter, more angry collection of songs" for Synkronized,[14] while Prasad Bidaye of Exclaim! commented that tracks such as "'Canned Heat,' 'Planet Home' and 'Where Do We Go From Here?' sound more like hi-NRG and house than acid jazz, while slower tempos on 'Falling' and 'Butterfly' ease the pressure for [Kay's] more romantic musings."[48] "Canned Heat" was their second number 1 in the US Dance Club Songs Chart,[49] and in 2004, appeared in a climactic dance scene of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite.[50][51] The 1998 single titled, "Deeper Underground" was listed in the Godzilla soundtrack and was their first and only UK number 1.[37] Synkronized sold 3 million copies and ranked number 1 in the UK albums chart and number 28 in the US Billboard 200.[37][52]

Jamiroquai performing at the Congress Theater in Chicago in 2005

The group issued their 2001 follow-up, A Funk Odyssey, a primarily disco record that explored rock and Latin music influences.[53][54][55] It introduced guitarist Rob Harris, who helped write tracks such as "Corner of the Earth", while Smith left the band in the following year.[55][56] A Funk Odyssey was released to generally mixed reviews,[57] with a Billboard magazine reviewer stating that the group "continues to mine a musical playing field that pays homage to [...] Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Chic",[58] and Mojo writing that the album "[succumbs] to unambitious disco stylings."[59] The band embarked on a world tour to promote the album, including locations in Europe, Hong Kong and Melbourne, and were accompanied by vocalist Beverley Knight.[60][61] The album topped in the UK,[52] Australia,[62] the European Top 100, and reached Top 10 charts in Germany, Ireland, Austria and Finland.[63] In the US, the album reached number 44 in the Billboard 200 and topped the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[64] Its accompanying singles "Little L" and "You Give Me Something", both reached at number 2 in the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[65] The former single also peaked at number 1 in Spain.[63]

Their sixth album titled Dynamite, was released in 2005, and reached number 3 in the UK,[66] number 2 in the European Top 100 Albums chart,[67] and number 2 in the US Dance/Electronics Album chart.[64] It was produced by Mike Spencer and was recorded in various locations in Europe and the US.[65] Rashod D. Ollison of The Baltimore Sun wrote that the album "boasts a harder digital edge... With heavier beats, manipulated guitar lines and odd digital textures, Dynamite is less organic than Jamiroquai's other efforts."[68] Its tracks "Feels Just Like It Should" and "Love Blind" were characterised as "[having] a fatter, dirtier sound than usual".[69] In 2006, the group announced their switch to Columbia Records.[70] A greatest hits collection, High Times: Singles 1992–2006, was issued in the same year and marked the end of Kay's contract with Sony.[71] It topped the UK album chart after its first week of release.[52] The following year, Jamiroquai performed in the Gig in the Sky, a concert held on a private Boeing 757 in association with Sony Ericsson.[72] The group thus currently holds the Guinness World Record for "fastest concert", performed on the aircraft whilst travelling at 1017 km/h (632 mph).[73] They formerly held the record for the "highest concert", broken by the Black Eyed Peas performing in a Virgin Australia aircraft.[74]

Jamiroquai performing in Warsaw, Poland in June 2011

Rock Dust Light Star was released in 2010 under Mercury Records, described by Kay himself as a "a real band record" that "[captures] the flow of our live performances".[75] Matt Collar commented in an AllMusic review that the group were "heading back to [their] rock and organic soul roots",[76] with a sound The Telegraph termed as "Californian Seventies funk rock".[77] It ranked number 7 in the UK with 34,378 copies sold.[78][79] Its first single "White Knuckle Ride" was number 1 in Italy and also charted in the Netherlands and Switzerland,[71] while its preceding single "Blue Skies" reached number 36 in the UK radio airplay chart.[71] The following year also saw members Harris, Johnson, and Turner forming the sub-group Radio Silence, with their album Travelogue being released.[80][81]

Jamiroquai released Automaton in 2017, their eighth studio album and the first in seven years. It was produced by Kay and band keyboardist Matt Johnson, and "has a heavy electronica influence, featuring retro synths, icy arpeggiated melodies, stompy house beats and bubbling basslines", according to a review from The New Zealand Herald.[82] It reached number 4 in the UK and topped the US Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[83][64] In May, Kay seriously injured his spine.[84] Requiring surgery, it led to two shows in Tokyo for their Automaton Tour being rescheduled in September.[85] By 2017, the group's line-up consisted of Kay, Harris, McKenzie, Johnson, Paul Turner on bass guitar, and percussionist Sola Akingbola.[86]

In January 2018, Jamiroquai released a track titled, "Now We Are Alone" on their official YouTube page. They gave their first US performance in 13 years at the 2018 Coachella Music Festival.[87]

Jamiroquai is generally termed as acid-jazz,[88] funk,[89] disco,[90] soul,[19] house,[91] and R&B.[39] Their sound has been described by J.D. Considine as having an "anything-goes attitude, an approach that leaves the band open to anything".[92] According to Michael Mehle of Rocky Mountain News, "When the band formed in 1992, the group chose to emphasize real instruments with a big band rather than techno-gilded dance music that required antiseptic computers and synthesizers on stage",[47] although their later work saw the band exploring electronic sounds.[68][82][93] Jay Kay is the primary songwriter of Jamiroquai. Despite his lack of ability to play musical instruments, he would sing melodies and beats for band members to transcribe to their instrumentation.[2] With some tracks lasting for more than three minutes,[2][54] the group balances between harder and softer songs,[2][21] and lyrics are the last to be written.[94] Toby Smith's keyboard arrangements were said to be "psychedelic and soulful",[48] while Stuart Zender's bass playing was likened to that of Marcus Miller.[95] Wallis Buchanan on didgeridoo was also considered as a distinctive element to their musical style.[92][96] When asked about how the group maintained their success, Kay responded, "By not worrying about staying relevant... Jamiroquai never really fitted into a trendy genre or anything."[94]

Jamiroquai's sound takes from disco and funk music of the 1970s.[97] Kay was influenced by Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock, Lou Donaldson, Grant Green,[39] Sly Stone, Gil Scott-Heron,[3] and hip-hop and its culture.[19] A 2003 compilation titled Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai under Azuli Records, also contains a selection of some of the band's soul, funk and disco influences.[98] While Jamiroquai and Kay's vocals have drawn comparisons to Stevie Wonder,[8][14][99] some critics accused the band of deriving throwback styles to the point of copying such artists.[14][47][100][101] Smith attributed this to having multiple musicians play in the band live;[47] while Kay, who denied being influenced by Wonder,[22] has voiced against being compared to other artists.[102] In contrast, Kay expressed his desire to maintain the group's distinctive sound whilst referencing his influences: "If you just sample Barry White or Sly Stone, that’s one thing; to get their spirit is different."[39]

Jamiroquai's lyrics have occasionally dealt with socially idealistic themes. Emergency on Planet Earth (1993) revolved around environmental awareness,[18][19] while The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994) contained themes of homelessness, Native American rights, youth protests, and slavery.[21][103][19] The songs "Black Crow" and "Twenty Zero One" from 2001's A Funk Odyssey, respectively "laments the absence of spirituality in modern culture" and discussed the "dehumanizing effects of technology."[104] The lyrics for Automaton (2017) allude to "dystopian films and the limitations of relationships built in a digital landscape…" as Richard Driver from PopMatters wrote and continued: "the band pushes for hope and optimism despite reliance on aspects of society increasingly lost by technology and solitude."[105]

However, critics said that the band had strayed from these values; with arguments that the band focused more on "having fun" instead of making social change,[55] and Kay's interest in sports cars went against their ecological themes.[1][14][3] Kay said in an interview with Muzik, that he was reluctant to release Travelling Without Moving (1996) as it adopted a motorcar concept,[lower-alpha 2] but added: "just because I love to drive a fast car, that doesn't mean I believe in [destroying the environment.]"[106] He additionally stated in 1999 interview that "after a while you realise that people won't boogie and dance to [politics]."[14]

Front-man Jay Kay has worn elaborate head-dresses.

For the band's live performances, Kay said that "playing live is our forte" and that he "[found] studio work a bit stiff in comparison."[8] Robert Hilburn of The Los Angeles Times wrote that the live band comprised a "10-member musical team, including a deejay and a horn section", and that Kay "asserts the confidence and command of a dancer".[107] He added in a separate article that "Kay himself brings a winning sense of individuality to his concerts, where he combines moves as fluid as Prince’s with a disarming sense of humor."[100] Chauncey Hollingsworth of the Chicago Tribune said in a 1995 concert review that "his ease in movement and vocal endurance was like a martial artist's."[108] In 1997, Jennifer Clay for Variety Magazine described Kay "leaping, twirling and sliding on his knees, performing flips and handstands, and conducting with his arms and shaking his hips — seemingly off in his own world."[109] A 2001 concert saw the group's horn section replaced with three backing vocalists.[96]

Kay stated that the group's visual aesthetics are important. He assumes creative control over the group's music videos, such as editing, performing his own stunts and ensuring that they all "[look] good after 10–15 years".[110] Called "icons of the music-video format" by Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic,[111] the group are especially known for their music video of "Virtual Insanity", directed by Jonathan Glazer. In the video, Kay: "performed in a room where the floors, walls and furniture all moved simultaneously."[112]

The band's frontman, Jay Kay, has worn various elaborate head-gear,[111] some he designed himself.[100][99] In a 1993 interview with Melody Maker, he said that wearing head-gear gives him a spiritual power that the Iroquois called "orenda" and if "[the audience] isn't really going for it, I'll tug the hat down and come on all militant."[8] The illuminating helmet that appears in "Automaton" music video was designed by Moritz Waldemeyer for Kay to control its lights and movements and to portray him as "an endangered species".[113] He had been accused of cultural appropriation when he wore Native American head-dresses.[114][115]

• Prouty, Kenneth (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Music. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313341991.
• Footman, Tim; Young, Mark C. (1 May 2001). Guinness World Records 2001. Guinness (Firm). New York: Bantam Books. p. 163. ISBN 0553583751. OCLC 46867195.
• Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
• Thompson, Dave (2001). Funk. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306298.